Case Study: Telecommunications, Singapore

13/02/2015

The company

Our client is a leading communications equipment provider, with more than 40 per cent of the world's mobile traffic passing through its networks.

The phenomenal global demand for wireless network connections means telecommunications companies are constantly trying to roll out new technology - such as 4G long-term evolution networks. Our client has more than 1,000 networks in 180 countries, including Singapore, where 4G uptake has been particularly strong.

The problem

With so many networks to maintain and upgrade in the Southeast Asian country, it is important that Telecommunications clients have access to a pool of experienced project managers and engineers.

One of the biggest problems facing the industry is skills shortages. There is a lack of suitably experienced contractors who can make an instant impact within the organisation and this is not an issue that is exclusive to Singapore.

How has Michael Bailey Associates helped?

Michael Bailey Associates' Consultant Jibi placed Nathan into a Project Manager role in Singapore, who was then tasked with adding specialist contractors to his team.

Nathan struck up a strong rapport with Jibi and has made good use of Michael Bailey Associate's services to grow his team of contractors. We helped him gain access to qualified technicians, something that he says is easier said than done because of the aforementioned skills gaps.

"The majority of [hires] here come from Michael Bailey Associates. I can trust them, there is a good healthy relationship there," he remarked.

"They have a large pool of resources and a good network. They can find the right people ... in order to make the project easier."

Nathan was particularly impressed with Michael Bailey Associates’ professionalism and has been happy with the standard of contractors hired to date. He was keen to stress that some organisations "do not do their homework" when assigning contractors to certain positions and this causes problems.

"Sometimes you realise you hired the wrong person for the wrong job. [Consultancies] need to spend more time getting the right guys for the right positions," he added.

This, he stated, is not an issue when working alongside Jibi and her colleagues at Michael Bailey Associates. And furthermore, working with Michael Bailey Associates helped to take all of the stress out of finding new recruits from other countries. There is always a lot of administration involved when hiring foreign contractors, but he did not have to worry about paperwork or visa applications, as this was all done for him.

The client company also hired Sally, a radio frequency consultant, to help with a project in Singapore, through Michael Bailey Associates. She is required to visit sites in order to fix any problems with the systems and her role is critical to the day-to-day running of the company's extensive network.

"I am in charge of the deployment of material based on the requirements on-site," she remarked.

"I prepare the BOQ's (bill of quantities) based on the topology of the network given by the customer and based on TLD (Transmission Link Design), while also reviewing the ATP (Acceptance Test Performance) from contractors before submission to the customer.

"[The role] is very important because the site activities are dependent on the materials and equipment delivered. If the BOQ/delivery is inaccurate then the site activities may be postponed or cancelled, affecting the overall project schedule."

Sally added that she has enough autonomy in her role to do her job without having to constantly answer to the project manager and she said Michael Bailey Associates "definitely helped increase my chances" of securing such an important role with one of the world's largest corporations.

Results

Nathan and Sally worked on a network project for our client, and this had an impact on their ability to deliver to their clients. Their expertise contributed to the smooth running of the project, the quick resolution of issues and, ultimately, the client’s KPIs.

So far, they have:

- Met the client’s monthly targets for system upgrades

- Provided troubleshooting expertise

- Addressed data tracking system issues

- Made sure all work was completed within a set budget

Nathan has had a major part to play in improving the company's data record tracking systems. These were not in place when he started the Project Manager role, and he emphasised that a lot of hard work has gone into ensuring past mistakes are not repeated. His work has helped to give the companys’ end clients a better idea of where they stand financially, he claimed.

"The previous team was good technically, but they didn't have a proper data record tracking system to know how many purchase orders they had," he added.

"Some of the sites that we had done did not even have customer purchase orders. Without this, the team is not able to effectively manage its systems."

Looking to the future

Nathan has worked for our client in a number of countries and has enjoyed his time in Singapore to date, although other challenges may await elsewhere. His strong relationship with Michael Bailey Associates means that wherever he finds himself next, he knows he will have support in finding new contractors.

Looking at the wider picture, our client continues to go from strength to strength, acquiring new businesses to strengthen its product offering. A study by TNS on behalf of Google in March 2014 showed that smartphone penetration in Singapore stood at 85 per cent, the highest in the world.

This highlights the enormity of the task facing global telecommunications company’s like our client, who have to ensure that network providers are capable of supplying Singapore's growing legion of smartphone users with fast, reliable wireless connections.

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